The God Who Saves Trees

Images.

5-18-2014

Sunday morning, around 7:54am. Quiet, still, cool outside. Overcast, but not dark. Just grey skies.

I woke up, made coffee for James and I, and brought his to him upstairs while he was getting ready for the service. 

I went and sat outside, on the next to the bottom porch step in the backyard, and sipped my coffee. I like to sit there instead of the chairs on the porch, because sometimes our neighbors are on their back porch facing our back yard, and it's just awkward. Plus, I'm just a girl that doesn't like being seen.

My mind immediately began to worry, fumbling around half asleep over an incomplete grade in Accounting, turning over the justifiable reasons of how I may defend myself to a professor, when...

I caught myself, mentally. In my spirit, the Spirit checks me, like a turning of the head, angles-- facing a different direction, and He reminds me, all the truths of God-breathed scripture/bread/life that He has embedded in my soul, and I stopped worrying, and began giving thanks. Because thanks and gratitude is the remedy for worry. In my mind/soul, Being quietly checked, I cease the worry and begin:

Thank You, God, for You.

Thank You God, for Your love.

Thank You, God, for my husband.

Thank You, God, for my children.

Thank You God, for this life you have given me. 

This beautiful, quiet, morning. The air, for being so cool. Thank You, God, for such a quiet, cool morning.

And suddenly, like I was in two places, but not, I see an image in my mind/spirit. It's so real, you can almost feel it.

I am looking out from a tree. Like I'm up in the tree, but not terribly high. Perhaps I am looking from within the tree itself. The limbs are strong, beautiful, and free of gnarls, disease spots, or damage. The limbs/bark is the beautiful ash/white/grey, like a birch sort of, or maybe an oak? The branches are full of leaves, like summer has exploded into growth and the lush, green leaves furl out, and it is raining. There is a soft, steady, gentle rain, and water is dripping happily, busy. The rains sounds like a chorus in unison and perfect in step. Beyond the branches, right beside the edge of the shade cast from the tree, is a strong little river. This River is beautiful, full of life, and flowing---coursing merrily by the tree. The tree is nourished and strong because of it. There is such a feeling of life, and contentment; growth and renewal, strength and the future flow happily from this River. The rain is falling, the leaves have water sliding down them and their greenness is so shiny and bright, it looks more beautiful than the most iridescent emerald, shining in the sun. Life, is living, before me.

I finished my coffee and went inside, wondering why I saw the mystery of what I saw, as I got myself and the children ready for church this morning.

Hours later, the children are in children's church, and James begins to lead the service with a prayer, and then the first song of praise is sung. In the middle of the song, the image of the tree comes back to me: cool, green, leaves; rain. The River flowing, strong and happy. Life breathed. In my soul, I gave thanks as I sing the praise song, my heart and soul worshiping our Great and wonderful God.

Songs are sang, prayers made, and then James opens the sermon. We hadn't had time to talk much the past few weeks, out of too much busyness. I didn't even know what he was going to preach about, or even what scripture he was preaching from. I was with the children, rather than the Adult Bible Study the previous Wednesday evening.
James begins the message, and asks us to listen, rather than read, from the passage, as he opens the Word of God. He said close your eyes if you need to, and hear what God says.

Psalms 1:1-3

"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

 nor stands in the way of sinners, 

nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 

but his delight is in the law of the Lord, 

and on his law he meditates day and night. 

He is like a tree planted by streams of water 

that yields its fruit in its season, 

and its leaf does not wither. 

In all that he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3 ESV)

And then the eyes of my soul were opened, and my heart recognized what He was gently giving me. A gift. An image of a tree, nurtured by the living water of God. Yet, a tree does not produce constantly; it is seasonal. When the season comes, it will yield its fruit. There is much gardening and tending imagery in the Bible; Isaiah 5 has another story of a vine dresser tending his garden--a picture of Christ. 

This is what it can be like in our hearts, as someone has said before I'm sure: the cultivation of the soul. He is tending His garden. The question remains-what kind of fruit will we give when our season is upon us?
Hear:
James' Sermon Sunday morning